Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Increases Mental Wellbeing and Emotion Regulation During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Synchronous Online Intervention Study
Frontiers in Psychology November 11, 2021 Maya Sanilevici, Omer Reuveni, S. Lev‐Ari et al.
An online 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program improved mindfulness, reduced anxiety and stress, and increased emotion regulation in 92 adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. These benefits persisted one month after the program ended, even as public-health restrictions tightened. The program did not affect participants' ability to tolerate uncertainty. The improvement in mental health was partially explained by better emotion regulation. The findings suggest that online MBSR can support mental health during highly stressful periods.